Researchers Wayne Crawford from the University of Texas at Arlington, Dawn Carson from Baylor University, Meredith Thompson from Utah State University, Wendy Boswell and Dwayne Whitten from Texas A&M University also conducted the study.

“It’s really no surprise that conflict was created when a spouse is using a mobile device at home,” Crawford said. “So, whether companies care or don’t care about employees being plugged in, those firms need to know that the relationship tension created by their interaction with their employees during non-work hours ultimately leads to work-life trouble,” Crawford explained.

The team examined 344 married couples who worked full-time and used mobile devices or tablets at home for work purposes. Crawford explained that there is plenty of research on technology and how it affects employees, but they wanted to see if this technology use carried over to affect the spouse negatively at work.

“That extra time spent on mobile devices after hours might not be worth it if the grief it causes results in productivity losses once the conflict is carried back to work,” Rasheed said. The research appears in the journal of Occupational Health Psychology.